Improvement in refrigerator-cars



L. B. WOO-LFOL'K.

REFRIGERATOR CAR Patented A ril 25-, 1 76 N PETERS, PHDTO-LITHOGRAFHER.WASHINGT ON. D C.

'U1\TITED STATES LUOIEN B. WOOLFOLK, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

PATENT CFF'TG.

IMPROVEMENT l N REFRIGERATOR-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 176,727, dated April25, 1876; application filed August 24,1874. a

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, LUCIEN B. WOOL'FOLK,

of Lexington,Fayette county, Kentucky, have invented an ImprovedRefrigerating Apparatus for Cooling Railroad-Oars, made practicallyair-tight, for the purpose of preserving animal substances, vegetables,fruits, and

other commodities, of which the following is a specification Myinvention consists in cooling substances in air-tight cars, by means ofice and salt used in an apparatusplaced in the top of the compartment tobe cooled, said apparatus consisting of a refrigerating box andtube,used either singly orin a combined series, and incased in a casing-boxcontaining water, either fresh or slightly salt, according. to thedegree of cold it is desired to maintain, so that the excessive cold ofthe ice and salt is modified and regulated in its effect by being passedthrough the medium of water; also, in the employment of a rake forclearing the tube from sediment, and in the use of a crane revolving ina hinged foot, and jointed to fold over onto the roof of the car whennot in use. This crane'has at its upper end an arm, upon which ahorizontally-adjustable extension slides, to facilitate the placing ofarticles in the desired positions.

One or more tiers of tracks are laid along the interior of the car forthe reception of small cars containing the articles transported, saidFig. 2, with the door K closed.

A B O is the car, the air in the interior of which is to be cooled, Arepresenting the sides, B the top, and G the bottom. The car, in Figs.1,2, and 3, is constructed with double walls, filled between with somenon-conducting material.

The refrigerating apparatus consists of a metallic ice-box, D, having init the box a, with perforated sides and bottom, for containing salt;a'closed metallic refrigeratortube, E, which communicates with theice-box D through the hole I), placed at some height above the bottom ofthe ice-box D, and is divided into compartments by the partitions c,that do not extend to the top of the tube E, but leave a water-passageinthe upper part of the tube; and a metallic casing-box, F, which isconstructed about the refrigerating-box D and tube E, so as to inclosethem, except at the top, and is filled with water, either fresh orsomewhatsalt, according to the degree of cold desired to be induced inthe car to be chilled,

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 several ice-boxes, D, and tubes, E, are combined ina single apparatus,

all incased in the same water-case F but the refrigerating apparatus iscomplete with a single ice-box, D, and tube E, with its metallicwater-case F. t

The number andthe conformation of the ice-boxes D andrefrigerating-tubes E may be changed and modified to-adapt the apparatusto the dimensions and the arrangement of the car to be cooled. x Theice-box D and the salt-box a may be of any shape and arrangement thatbest adapts them to the area in which they are placed. Therefrigerating-tube E may also vary in shape to suit the area in which itis placed, being either straight or, if necessary, turning at any angleto suit the arrangement of the car in which it is placed; and 'thecasing-box F is conformed to the varying form and arrangement of therefrigerating-box D and tube E. It is shown in an unbroken continuationin Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

The salt-box a does not extend to the bottom of the ice-box D, theobject being to keep the salt in contact with the brine near the top.This construction has great advantages. The

lower the temperature of the refrigerating agent, the more efficient itsaction, and the 1 more economical its use. To maintain a low temperatureof the refrigerating agent, it is essential'to keep the brine in contactwith the ice floating in it as fully saturated with salt as possible.This saturation can only be maintained'by keeping the salt near thesurface of the brine, inasmuch as when the salt once sinks to thebottom, as it soon does when not placed in a separate receptacle, itremains there in virtue of the superior gravity of saturated brine,while the water at the surface, freshened by the constant melting of theice, coiltains so little salt that it is unable to melt the ice ata lowtemperature. G is the pipe through which the brine escapes from the tubeE. VVherea number of refrigerating boxes and tubes are combined into abattery, the pipes G conduct the brine from the tubes E into the commonwaste-pipe G; but where there is but one refrigerating-box D and tube Eused, the waste-pipe G passes out directly from the refrigerating-tubeE. The waste-pipe G lies within the casing-box F in its wholelongitudinal course in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. H H are conducting-troughs, tolead off the water precipitated upon the bottom of the casing-box F. Ido not claim these troughs as my invention, and only have them inthedrawings and model in order to represent the apparatus in completeorder. K K are trap-doors in the top B, through which refrigeratingmaterials are supplied to the ice-box D. The doors K should be madepractically air-tight by being listed with cloth or lined with rubberaround the edge. They are constructed with double walls, and theinterior filled with non-conducting material. L is a recess in thebottom of the car, which receives the escape-water-from the pipe G, andalso any water that may be in the compartment A B G from any othercause. The water in the recess L escapes through the pipe M, which iscurved so as to form a water-seal. The sides and bottom of L below thelevel of the bottom of the car are made double, and the interval filledwith non-conducting materials. N is a pipe placed in the bottom of thecar A B O for purposes.

of ventilation, the cold air within readily passing down through N whenit is open. O-

is a stopple worked by the crank P, and moved up and down by a'screwworking in the fixed nut Q. By leaving the stopple slightly open theventilation of the compartment may be easily regulated. S is the door ofthe car A B (J, placed in the top or roof B. It is practicallyair-tight, being listed withv cloth or rubber. T T are doors of thechamber containing ice. U is the upright of a crane. It is set in thefoot (1, in which it revolves. By means of the joint 6 it may be laidbackward when not in use. V is the arm, which: has an extension, W,supported. by the sliding collars f, and secured by the thumb-screw g.The upright U is supported by the ropes h, and the arm V is supported bythe chain 6 attached to the extension W and the upright U. X istheWindlass furnished with the rope 7c,-the pulley l, and the hooks'm. Whenthe upright U is laid backward by means of the joint 6, the arm V mayalso be laid back by means of the joint n, so that, when out of use, thecrane may be laid down upon the top B.

Y is the ice-compartment, to contain the ice-boxes Y, which are fittedwith eyes 0, in which the hooks m may be hitched, in order to lift them.Z Z are cars running on tracks 19, and furnished with eyes 1", by whichthe hooks m may fasten on them. The cars Z are made of such dimensionsas to readily pass through the door S in the root of the car, beinglifted in and out by the crane. The tracks 1) are arranged with thelower track narrower than the upper, so that the cars Z may be lowereddown upon it. s is a rake for clearing the refrigeratingtube E of anysediment in its bottom. By flooding the ice-box D with water, and at thesame time using the rake s, the sediment will be stirred up and floatedoff by the running water. t is .a pipe conveying the waste water fromthe ice compartment Y to the recess M.

The operation of the apparatus, by which it chills the air in the car A'B O, is as follows: Water is placed in the casing-box F, care beingtaken to leave space for the expansion of the water in freezing. Then,when the icebox- D and salt-box at are respectively filled with ice andsalt, the salt, being placed on a level with the top of the brine, keepsthe whole of the brine fully saturated, and the strong brine, meltingthe ice at a very low temperature, makes the fluid excessively cold.With the melting of the ice and-salt the brine overflows from theice-box D, through the hole b, .into the refrigerating-tube E, enteringE at a very low temperature. The construction of the partitions c in E,having a water-passage brine is always retained, while the warnier,

which has lost its chill, flows out. The ice and salt and the cold brinein the refrigerating-box D and tubeE expend all of their refrigeratingforce upon the water in the casingbox F. If the water in F be free fromsalt it will freeze solid at 32, and will impart no greater degree ofcold to the air in the car A B 0; but, by making it more or less salt,its freezingpoint will be lowered, so that it will communicate a greaterdegree of cold to the air. It will probably be found necessary to makethe water in the casing-box F sufliciently salt to reduce itsfreezing-point to 29 or 30. As this will be necessary to keep the air ofthe car A B G at a regular temperature of 33 to 34, the rapid conductionof heat through the comparatively thin walls making it impossible tokeep the compartment down to the temperature of the refrigeratingmedium. By

the fluted construction of the bottom of the casing-box F, conformed tothe shape of the refrigerating-box D and tube E, a system of currentssets up in the water in the casingbox, which materially aids therefrigerating action. When thewater in F comes in contact with thebottom of ,D E it is chilled, and rises to the surface, where it is awayfrom contact with D E. By imparting its chill to the air below throughthe metallic bottom of the casing-box F its temperature rises, and itsinks down into contact with D E again. This fluted construction isadopted to promote this system of currents, and not for the purpose 'ofcatching the moisture precipitated upon the bottom of the casing-box F.The chilled air in the top of the car A B O sinks to the bottom, and acirculation sets up which maintains the air in A B G at an equabletemperature.

By this apparatus it will be seen the excessive refrigerating force ofthe ice and salt is not applied to the air of the compartment to theinjury of the substances stored therein, but it is imparted to the Waterin the casing box F, and by this means a fixed temperature is secured,which can be regulated at will-by V keeping the water in the'casing-boxfresh, or

making it more or less salt, as may bedesired. By thus regulating thechill of ice and salt by applying it to the air of the compartmentthrough the medium of water, it becomes an i efficient agent inrefrigerating air-tight chambers. Y

What I claim as new is 1. The ice-box D, in combination with thetrap-door K, the salt-box a, the refrigeratingtube E, and the casing-boxF, substantially as described.

2. The refrigerating-tube E, divided into compartments by the partitionsc, in combinaa lengthwise-adjustable extension, W, in com-- binationwith the railroad-tracks p and cars Z, all constructed and arrangedsubstantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand andseal this 24th day of August, 1874. i

LUGIEN B. WOOLFOLK. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

W. V. S. WILSON, JOSEPH F. BARNES.

